The driver made his way down this small lane in Kovachevitsa until he could go no farther and everyone got out and started walking. Already, visions of a hovel for the evening dancing through my head, and there was Kapsazov’s Guesthouse, consisting of two lovely homes and a magnificent garden…. with roses blooming everywhere,…View image… lounge chairs and a flowered arbor with a long breakfast table set underneath it. Besides roses, the garden was filled with fruit trees, a vegetable patch and an herb garden.

There are only five rooms, two in one small house and the others in the main house. (Their e-mail contact is: kapsazovs_houses@yahoo.com.) By sheer luck, ex-Marine and I were allotted one of the unbelievably large rooms in the small house furnished with antiques, wood-carved furniture, artwork by local artists and a balcony overlooking the gardens and, yes, there was a bathroom. Now, this is what I call a guesthouse!

Kapsazov’s main house, Kovachevitsa, Bulgaria
The owner-managers, Stoyan and Sonya, constructed their guesthouse from scratch in traditional style. The main house had wooden beams, more antiques, and gigantic kitchen. ex-Marine and I instantly plunked ourselves down, chose a bottle of excellent wine, poured a glass, and didn’t move for hours watching Sonya and her mother prepare a mouth-watering dinner.

our Kapsazov Guesthouse room, Bulgaria 

Kapsazov’s small house where we stayed, Bulgaria
And, what a dinner. Meats, chicken, roasted home-raised vegetables including eggplant (one of my favorites), fresh bread baked every day by Sonya….and more! It was food-coma heaven. Everything served was extremely delicious and organic. Since our stay here, Sonya has written a best-selling cookbook on Bulgarian food and also holds cooking classes. You couldn’t ask for friendlier, warmer, and hospitable people who treated their guests like family. Going to bed extremely happy and content, the next morning (another beautiful, sunny day), we looked out from our balcony and watched Sonya setting the breakfast table under the arbor. Fresh seasonal fruits, banitza – a typical feta cheese/spinach filo dough pastry, more freshly baked bread and jams, their own honey, crepes, and more. There is no menu and everything is served family-style, but even the pickiest eater would find something wonderful to eat.

breakfast al fresco at Kapsazov’s Guesthouse in Kovachevitsa, Bulgaria
They had collected many antiques over the years, all for sale, and I couldn’t resist this heavy Macedonian belt. On the one or two times I’ve worn it, I feel as if I’m wearing Rocky’s championship boxing belt. Very heavy…

Bulgarian belt resembles one given for boxing championships
It was a real treat to just wander around the stone-paved streets in this picturesque village surrounded by apple orchards or just sitting in their wonderful garden. And, I ask you…could a chicken ever ask for a more beautiful coop than this one? A person could be happy living in this…let alone chickens… I was blown away by the attention to detail with a little ramp for the chickens to walk up, slate roof and flowerpot…

this rooster was definitely proud of his accommodations at Kapsazov’s Guesthouse, Bulgaria 

freestanding chicken coop at Kapsazov’s Guesthouse, BulgariaOne of the most enchanting places we’ve ever stayed. L-O-V-E-D…it.